Cultural spotlight during Japan’s “Golden Week”
The Golden Week (from April 29 to May 6) is one of Japan’s longest holidays. It presents a special opportunity for Viet Nam at EXPO 2025 Osaka, as local people use this time to explore countries’ cultures and enjoy leisure activities.
EXPO 2025 Osaka has quickly become a magnet for both domestic and international visitors. Seizing this opportunity, Viet Nam is stepping up efforts to enhance its presence, promote cultural values, boost tourism, and expand global partnerships.
Throughout the Golden Week, a series of cultural and tourism promotion activities between Viet Nam and the international community will take place, including live performances, digital experience interaction, and public exchange. Viet Nam’s pavilion aims to reach a large number of international visitors, then enhance national brand recognition and positioning Viet Nam as an attractive destination.
Located on the artificial island of Yumeshima in Osaka, the Vietnamese pavilion officially opened its doors on April 24. Viet Nam has chosen the sub-theme: “A people-centred inclusive society”, which is aligned with EXPO 2025’s common theme, “Designing a future society for our lives”.
The 300-square-metre exhibition space is inspired by the iconic conical hat, blending traditional symbolism with cutting-edge technology to create a unique cultural hub with a distinct East Asian identity. The pavilion features traditional Vietnamese art performances, such as lotus dances, water puppetry, and musical presentations using instruments like the 16-string zither, monochord, and T’rung.
A standout highlight is the “The Beauty of Viet Nam” programme on the main Inner Stage, which merges folk music with modern lighting effects. Familiar images such as the conical hat, traditional long dress, and traditional musical instruments are vividly brought to life, encapsulating the spirit of Viet Nam.
Virtual exhibition expands digital cultural space
For the first time at a World Expo, Viet Nam is operating a virtual pavilion alongside the real one. Through the “Virtual EXPO – Yumeshima in the Sky” platform, users around the world can select avatars dressed in traditional long dresses and conical hats, and explore exhibition areas while interacting with Vietnamese cultural products in both English and Vietnamese.
Inside the physical pavilion, visitors are immersed in cultural content through multimedia technology, including touchscreens, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), hologram displays, and digital maps. These experiences not only spread cultural values but also allow visitors to “live” Viet Nam’s heritage with a simple touch or effects simulating landscapes, festivals and traditional craft villages of Viet Nam.
 |
| Nguyen Phuong Hoa, General Representative of Vietnam at EXPO 2025 Osaka, delivers her speech |
According to Nguyen Phuong Hoa, Director General of the International Cooperation Department (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and Viet Nam’s Commissioner-General at EXPO 2025 Osaka, the Viet NamVietnamese pavilion will serve as a memorable cultural touchpoint for visitors, a bridge for international cooperation, and a platform to share new narratives about a rapidly developing and vibrant Viet Nam.
Linking culture – tourism – technology
Beyond promoting heritage and the arts, Viet Nam officially launched the “National Tourism Year 2025” under the theme “Hue – Former Capital, New Opportunities” at the EXPO 2025. This marks the first time the country’s most significant tourism event has been formally introduced at an international forum, underscoring the link between culture, tourism, and technology in Viet Nam’s external promotion efforts.
Besides performance programmes and exhibition spaces, many Vietnamese creative enterprises and cultural organisations have found new opportunities for cooperation with Japanese partners in fields such as cultural industries, design, education, and smart tourism. Through EXPO 2025, Viet Nam is not only showcasing cultural products but also generating interest in emerging tourism products: heritage tourism, digital tourism, and experiential tourism.
 |
| Logo of the Vietnamese pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka |
In the framework of the exhibition, Viet Nam will participate in the Value Week (May 26 to June 1) and Viet Nam’s Country Day (September 9).
These are key milestones for Viet Nam to further promote its culture, strengthen diplomacy, and attract investment and tourism. Through a diverse series of activities, Viet Nam presents itself as a dynamic, globally integrated, and innovative country, leveraging technology as a foundation to pread its national cultural values.
From the virtual-reality pavilion model to multilingual information platforms and multimedia technology solutions, Viet Nam is gradually shaping a digital content ecosystem for culture, where visitors can not only receive, but also interact with, connect to, and accompany the essence of Vietnamese identity.
